Device for disposing of ashes and cinders from locomotives.



T. S. LEAKB.

DEVICE FOR msrosma or ASHES AND omnnns mom LOGOMOTIVES.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 2, HOB.

Patented June 15,1909.

a sums-4:11:31- 1 6 INVENTOR.

A N 3 a WITNESSES.-

.4 TTORNE Y.

T. S. LEAKE. DEVICE FOR DISPOSING 0 ASHES AND GINDERS FROM LOCOMOTIVES AYPLIUATION FILED MAY 2,1908.

Patented June 15, 1909.

3 SHEETS--81? BET 2.

T. S. LEAKE.

DEVICE 1m DISPOSING or ASHES AND cmnsns FROM LOCOMOTIVES.

APILIUATION FILED MAY 2,1908.

Patented June 15, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3,

IN VENTOR. 41 44! J? WITNESSES ,0 ATTORNEY.

THOMAS S. LEA-KE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

. DEVICE FOR DIS BOEING OF ASHES AND GINDERS FROM LOCOMOTIVES.

.I '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TnoMAs S. LEAKE, a

- citizen of the United States, residing at St.

Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful-11in rovements in Devices for Disposing of shes 'and Cinders from Locomotives, of which the following is a specification.

he object of my invention is to provide suitable apparatusto transfer ashes and cinders away from the ash pits in which they are deposited from locomotives. This object and various other objects in connection therewith will be made apparent in the following specification and claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in whieh- Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of my iin roved apparatus. Fig. 2 is an elevation o certain parts, looking in the sah'le direction as in Fig. 1 but the section being taken in a different plane.

vation at right angles to that of Fig. 1. Figs.

- 4 and 5 illustrate details. Fig. 6 is top plan View. Fig. 7 is an axial section of the chamber which forms an element of my apparatus. Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8, 8 of Fig. the arrows.

A large ash pit" is provided between the rails leading to the roundhouse. One side wall 17 of this pit is vertical while the oppo-\ site side wall 18 slopes downwardly toward it. The end walls 19 slope downwardly together and thus athroat 20 (if-moderate-size is formed at the bottom ot the pit. Below this threat 20 a. large elnu'uber 33 is excavated and in this chamber? the grcatcrpart of my apparatus is installed. Leading from the bottom of the throat 20 is a sheet metal chute 23 which widens out on each side, as indicated by the reference numeral 21.. Within these widened parts are the toothed parallel rollers 22, the relation of the teeth thereon being shown best in Fig. 6,. the bearings for one roller indicated by the reference numeral 24 and for the reference numeral 25. The bearings 24 are fixed; but the bearings 25' are adapted to reciprocate in guides 28 so as to ad ust the distance between the rollers 22. This adjustment is effected by means of the screws 26 and nuts 27 attached to the bearings 25. The chute 23 is bounded on what may be called the back side by closely arra d square steeply iurlined ironfbars 29.19%

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 2, 1908.

. the

Fig. 3' is an cle 3, looking in the direction of 5 other roller by the Patented June 15, 1909.

Serial N0. 30,590.

Fig. 8), thus forming a sieve or screen through which water may drain from the ashes and cinders into the chamber 30 behind the bars 20, and be conducted away by i e 31. Tie chute 23 discharges into a drum 32 which occupies the lower part ofthe chamber 23.

The reference numeral 34 designates a compressed air supply pipe. From this a branch pipe 35 leai s to the ail-motor 86,

being controlled by the valve 37. This air motor rotates the sprocket pinion 38 which communicates its movement to the sprocket wheel 39 by men s of the chain 40. The sprocket wheel 39lis on the same shaft with o le of the toothed rollers 22. This shaft also carries the fiy-whecl 41 and the gear wheel 42 which meshes with a similar 'ear haft with the other too ed roller 22. Th teeth of the two gear 42 and 43 are put osely made long so as to facilitate adjustment by means of the screw threaded rod 26. Another branch 44 from the air supply pipe 34 leads to the bottom of the drum 32, and there branches and tern'iinates in 'a series of downturned nozzles 46, as shown in Fig. 7. There is a valve 45 in the pipe 44 having a crank 45 which is under the control of an operator on the ground by means of the rod 45*.

The sliding gate 47 with the co-aeting guides 48 are provided for the purpose of closing the opening from the chute 23 into the drum 3:? (see Fig. 7). The rod 49 passing through a stalling box 49 serves to control the gate 47 and is in turn controlled by the bout arm lever 5()51 fulcrumed on the arm 52 and actuated from the ground by means of 1 he rod 52} extending through the sleeve 54 and torminnling-in a handle 55.

In t he particular embodiment of my invention which I have chosen to illustrate and deseribe in thiespecilication, l have incorporated means'lor automatically stop )ing the crushing rolls 2) in case lhe outlet l rom the drum 1&2 becomes dogged up. Apatter 56 is positioned central v in the upper part of the drum 32,,bving plvotally mounted on the. axis 57 by means ol the arm 5S within the drum 32. From the end of lhchxle shaft 57 extends an arm 59 and connected thereto by a. knee oint is a lmk 60. The abntlmg shoulders 61 shown in. Fig. 4 prevent the joint betwem the members 59, 60 from being flexed u nvardlv while pm-unttmg downward flex- .whcre it is desired to discharge the ashes.

urc. Retrimtile springs 63 connecting the members 59 and 60 on either side are so de signed that when once the joint between said. members is flexed a little they will increase such ilcxurc. Pivotcd on the same axis as that which belongs to the joint 59---60 is the supporting link 62 which has its uppjcrslottcd end 62 connected to one end of a ell crank 64, the of her end being connected by the link 65 to another bell crank 66, which in turn is attached to a long rod 6'1 rcachin to an accessible point where it can be user as a handle. The cranh 68 on the valve 37 is engaged by the rod 67 The end of the link 60 is con nocti-d by a pitman 60 to the wrist pin 60 on the crank disk 60, which is at the end of the shaft carrying the toothed roller 22 and the lly-whcvl 41. A conduit 69 arranged so as not to have any sharp bends extends from the bottom of the drum 32 to any pollit t will be noted that the compressed airnozzles 46 are directed into this conduit 69 in proximity thereto.

The water pipe 80 is embedded in the ground and terminates in a hydrant 81 controlled by a hand valve 82. From this hydrant a cxiblc hose 83 leads to the terminal nozzle 84. By this means the ashes in the pit 19 may be wetted down by an attendant.

Having described the structure of the aparatus which constitutes a preferred cmodiment of my invention, I will now proceed to state how this. apparatus operates. The locomotives travel along on the rails and duin their ashes and cinders into the pit 16. he operator by pushin down on the rod 67 opens the valve 37 an starts the air motor running. This drives the crushing rollers 22, thus feeding the ashes and cinders down between them into the chute 23 and at the same time crushing any larger cinders or clinkers. At the same time that this is going forward the attendant or operator is wetting the ashes down copiously in the pit 16. Any

excess of water Wlll be drained out from the ashes in the chute 23 through the spaces between the s uarcd bars 2.9,thcse constitutin a sieve for t is purpose, and such water wi be drained away through the conduit 31 Thereafter, the ashes will fall into he drum 32, being in a more or less plastic 1 ass, due to he admixture of water. Afterthh toothed rol ers 22 have fed down a uantit as sufficient to partially ii 1 the r rum 32, th n the operator stops the rotation of said i :thcd drum 32 by means of the handle 67 controlling the valve 37 of the air motor 36. 1. ext, the operator closes the opening from t in clinic 23 to the drum 32 by shifting the gptc 47in, means of the handle and the int .rmediatc mechanism. Thereafter, the ope 'ator o lens the valve 45 and the compressed at 1' will ilow through the nozzles 36 into the conduit 69, which leads away frogm the botof wet.

tom of the drum 32 to the point where it is desired to deposit the ashes. For example, this conduit may lead through a flexible hose to a car standing on a side track at a greater or less distance and thus the ashes may be loaded into the car; This completes the description of the normal operation of mv device.

If it should ha pen that the ashes become clogged up in the )ottom of the drum 32 they would continue to pile up therein until their top surface attained somewhat the form indicated by the dotted lines inFig. 7. Meanwhile, the patter 56 is going up and down, the lever 58-59---60 as a whole rocking on the shaft 57, this movement being imparted by the pitman 60 driven from the rotating shaft on which is the -fiy-whcel 41. The slot 62' in the top end of the link 62 aflords room for the necessary play of said link, but when the pile of ashes in the drum 32 reaches a. certain height, then at every stroke, the atter 56 will strike down upon the pile an thus there will be a force tending to break the joint between the members 59 and 60 downward. As soon as this break occurs the spring 63 will tend to increase the relative aviation of the members 59 and 60 and thus there will be a jerk down on the link 62, which, throu h the elements 64, 65, 66, 67 and 68, will 0 ose the valve 37, thus shutting off the air from the air motor 36 and stop ing the rotation of the toothed rollers 22. he space between the toothed rollers 22 is so narrow that the wet ashes will not sift through except when they are rotated.

While the s ecific embodiment of my invention which l have chosen to illustrate and describe relates to removing ashes and cindcrs from=a railway track ash-pit, it will be ob.- vious that' in its broader aspect my invention ,may be employed to convey ashes and cinders from any one point to another. Thus the chamber 32 and its associated parts might, for example, be employed to convey ashes from the neighborhood of a battcrv of stationary boilers to a barge on which it is desired to load the ashes and cinders. The various applications of my invention are intended to he covered by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, an ash-pit, a receiving chamber beneath the ash pit, a passage connecting them, crushing and coding mechanism in said passage, means for introducing water into the ash-pit a conduit loading from the bottom of said chamber, and a compressed air pipe terminating in nozzles within the chamber directed toward said conduit.

2. In a device of the class described, an ash-pit, a receiving chamber beneath the ashpit, a passage connecting them, crushing and coding mechanism in said passage, means for introducing water into the ash-pit an adnozzles within the chamber directed toward said conduit.

3. In a device of the class described, an ashrpit, a receiving chamber beneath the ashit, a passage connecting them, crushing and ceding mechanism in said passage, means for introducing water into the ash-pit a compressed air motor to actuate said mechanism, a conduit leading from the bottom of said chamber, and a compressed air ipe-termi-, mating in nozzles within the chem er directe toward said conduit 4. In a device of the class described, an ash-pit, a receiving chamber beneath the ashpit, a passage connecting them, an adjustable closure for said passage, means for introducin water into the ash-pit a conduit leading tom the bottom of said chamber,. and acorn ressed air pipe terminating in nozzles wit in the chamber directed toward said-conduit.

5. In a device of the class described, an ash-pit, a receiving chamber beneath the ashpit, a passe e connecting them, crushing and eeding mec anism in said passage, :1. motor to actuate said mechanism, a patter in the chamber, and operating connections from the motor to the patterpsaid connections comprising a yieldnm element adapted to stop the motor.

6. In a device of the class described, a receiving chamber for ashes means for netting ashes as they are about to be introduced into said chamber, an adjustable closure for the top of the chamber, compressed air pipes terminating in downwardly directed nozzles Within the chamber, and an outlet conduit ,leading away from the bottom of the chamber.

7. In a device of the class described, a reeeiving chamber for ashes, a. chute leading thereto, crushing and feeding rolls within the chute, an air motor to drive said rolls, com pressed air pi )es terminating in downwardly directed nozzles within thechamber, a conduit leading therefrom, and a compressed air supply pipe with branches, leading rcspectivcly to said motor and nozzles.

8. In a device of the class described, an ash-pit, a receiving chamber beneath the ash-pit, and an inclined chute connecting them, the lower side of said chute being formed of square bars arranged longitndinally, each bar having its diagonally opposite edges adjacent to corres mnding edges of the neighboring bars.

QQ'In a device of the class described, an ash-pit. a receiving chamber beneath the ash-pit, a passage connecting them, crushing and feeding mechanism in said pas age, 0. motor to actuate said mechanism, a patter in the chamber, and an oscilllating arm driven by said motor to actuate said patter, said arm having a knee joint normally held straight by a spring with connections therefrom to a controlling device for the motor.

10. In a device of the class described, a receiving chamber for ashes, a chute leading thereto, feeding and crushing rolls within the chute, an air motor to drive said rolls, a coinressed ail pipe leading, to the motor, a valve In the pipe, a patter in the chamber, connections from the motor to oscillate the utter, said connections comprising a crank raving a knee,joint therein, and'conncctions from said knee joint to said valve.

ii. The methpd of conveying ashes from one place to another, which consists in wet?- ting the ashes, gathering them compactly in a closed chamber, admitting compressed air to the chamber, and thereby forcing thp ashes from the chamber along a condui leading therefrom.

12. The method of conveying ash s from one place to another, which consists in wetting the ashes, crushing the clinker-s therein, gathering them compactly in a closed chamber, admitting compressed air to the chamber and thereby forcing the ashes in more or less compact masses alon, a conduit leading from the chamber.

13. The method of conveying ashes from one place to another, which consists in accumulating them in a pit, wetting them down in the pit, transferring them from the )it to a closed chamber having a conduit eading therefrom, admitting compre sed air to the clnnnhcr and thereby forcing the ashes therefrom along the conduit.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

THOMAS S. IIEAKE. Witnesses:

Anna I. Havens, ANNIE t. totnrrnsm'. 

